The following is a collection of frequently asked questions about the CEQ process. This includes questions that instructors, students, staff and administrators may have. If you have further questions that are not addressed here, please email ceq@mun.ca.

General

What is the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ)?

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is the standard method of collecting student feedback on course learning experiences at Memorial University. The CEQ is administered under the authority of Senate and is available for most courses offered at Memorial each semester. Please refer to the Policies and Procedures page for complete course evaluation policies and procedures.

What is Blue?

Blue Course Evaluations by Explorance is the new technology solution adopted by Memorial University for the administration of the CEQ. Blue offers students, instructors, staff and administrators improved functionality and user experience over the previous system. Explorance is a Canadian company that offers Blue as a cloud-based solution, and the tool is currently being used for course evaluation by many other Canadian institutions.

Why has the process for student course feedback changed?

The report of the Special Senate Committee for Evaluating Course and Teaching Effectiveness (ECTE), adopted by Senate in fall 2021, recommended that the existing CEQ be replaced with a new instrument and process in support of Senate’s approval of a new purpose statement for the CEQ. The ECTE report, which provides detailed background on this revised process and the updated questionnaire, is available here: https://www.mun.ca/senate/media/production/memorial/administrative/senate/media-library/about/ECTE_report.pdf.

What is the purpose of the CEQ?

Senate has endorsed the following purpose statement for the CEQ:

As one part of an overall approach to course evaluation, the intent of the CEQ is to collect constructive information from students about learning experiences in their courses. CEQ results provide instructors with an opportunity to consider student feedback for the ongoing development of their courses and of their teaching practice; they help inform academic administrators about students’ perceptions of teaching and learning in their units; and acknowledge the value of students’ involvement in the evaluation process.

Where can I get help using the Blue CEQ system?

Questions and assistance with respect to the CEQ in Blue can be directed to the Centre for Institutional Planning and Analysis (CIAP) at 709-864-4016, or email ceq@mun.ca.

Does the CEQ take place every semester?

The CEQ is administered in each of the three regular semesters each academic year (fall, winter, spring).

When is the CEQ administered each semester?

In a regular semester (fall, winter, spring) the CEQ administration period begins 14 days before the start of the examination period and ends the day before the start of the examination period. In a 6 week session (intersession, summer session) the administration period begins 7 days before the start of exams. For special session courses less than 6 weeks in duration that opt to use the CEQ, the administration dates will be determined on a course by course basis.

Where can I find the administration dates for the current semester?

Key dates for the CEQ will be posted on the main page of CEQ webpage each semester

How will the CEQ be administered for team-taught courses?

If the CEQ is being used for a team taught course, the course will only have one instance of the CEQ available as the questionnaire is for the course overall. However, each instructor may choose to add additional questions that are specific just to them. These questions will have the instructor name in blue text beneath the question and any responses students provide for those questions should be for that specific instructor only. All instructors of the team taught course will receive the same common report of responses to the core questionnaire (questions 1-12). If an instructor chose to add the two core comments questions (and in future semesters, any other custom questions), those response will be reported back to that instructor only.

CEQ Form

What questions are asked on the CEQ form?

The questions that were approved for the revised CEQ form can be found in the ECTE report here: https://www.mun.ca/senate/media/production/memorial/administrative/senate/media-library/about/ECTE_report.pdf. The core CEQ form includes 12 Likert-style rating questions and two optional written response (comments) questions. Instructors and academic units will have the ability to add custom questions to the form through the Blue system.

How can instructors add their own questions to the CEQ form?

Before the CEQ administration period begins, instructors will have an opportunity to select additional questions to be included with the core questionnaire for their course(s) through the Question Personalization (QP) feature in Blue. An email invitation will be sent directly to individual instructors who are teaching courses that have been identified to use the CEQ, which will provide a link to the instructor QP interface.

There are two open-ended questions approved by Senate as part of the core questionnaire which are optional for instructors to include depending on if they wishto receive written feedback. Other selectable questions, developed by the Senate Committee on Course Evaluation, are provided as part of an optional question bank for instructors.

How can academic units add their own questions to the CEQ form?

The process for customization of the CEQ form by academic units is being developed and details will be available in the near future.

Accessing and Completing the CEQ

Why should students complete the CEQ?

The CEQ gives students an opportunity to provide feedback to their instructor on their experience in the course. Student feedback can be valuable to the instructor in the development of their courses and teaching practice.

Are students required to complete the CEQ?

The CEQ is not mandatory for students to complete. The CEQ provides an opportunity for student feedback on course experiences and students are encouraged to participate in the process.

How do students access the CEQ?

Students can access their CEQs through the links in the email invitation sent to their Memorial email account, or through the notifications available in Brightspace (popup, news widget and main toolbar) during the duration of the CEQ administration period. With either route, students will be taken to the Blue system (behind MUN login) and presented with a list of the courses they are registered for in the current semester for which a CEQ form is available.

Can students complete the CEQ on a mobile device?

The CEQ in Blue can be accessed on a mobile device.

How long does it take to complete a CEQ?

The CEQ core question set has been designed for efficient completion and typically will take just a few minutes to complete. However completion times will vary and will depend on the student’s own pace in considering the individual questions. If an instructor had added custom questions, and in particular written comments questions, this may increase the time it will take to complete a CEQ.

I am registered for courses this semester. Why did I not receive an email invitation?

Students should check their Memorial email account for an invitation and subsequent reminder messages starting the first day of the administration period. Note that these messages are sent to a student’s @mun.ca account, not to campus specific accounts (i.e., Grenfell or MI email addresses).

If none of your courses are eligible to use the CEQ, you will not receive an email invitation.

Will there be a CEQ available for all courses/Why is there no CEQ for a course?

The CEQ is mandated for use in most courses at Memorial each semester. Current policy identifies certain types of courses are not mandated to use the CEQ, including courses with enrolment less than 5, team taught courses, non-degree credit courses and modularized courses or courses offered outside of the normal time frame for a semester of session. While these types of courses are not mandated to use the CEQ, the CEQ can be used for non-mandated courses if a unit chooses. The CEQ is also not applicable for courses of certain activity types and formats such as graduate registration, dissertations, projects, and work terms/internships. Courses offered by the Faculty of Medicine are not included in the CEQ process.

Can a CEQ form be partially completed and returned to later?

The “Save” option at the top of the form will save your responses in progress so you can return to complete them at any time before the CEQ administration period closes. If you do not actually submit your responses by clicking the “Submit” button at the end of the form, any partial responses will not be included in final results.

Can CEQ responses be modified or updated once they have been submitted?

Students can return to a completed form at any time before the end of the CEQ administration period to modify their responses and submit the CEQ again.

I am a student taking a course taught by more than one instructor. Do I have to complete a separate CEQ for each instructor?

If you are completing the CEQ for a course that has more than one instructor (team taught course), remember that the questionnaire is about the course and not the instructor(s). Individual instructors may choose to add their own additional questions to the form, and these will be noted by the instructor’s name after the question. Please check the instructor name carefully on any added questions to ensure you are responding for the correct instructor. All instructors of the team taught course will receive the same summary of the core questionnaire (Questions 1-12). If an instructor added custom questions to the form, those results will be reported back to that individual instructor only.

Are student responses anonymous?

Student responses to the CEQ are voluntary and will be reported anonymously. Students are asked to not put their name, student number, or any other identifying information anywhere within the form. If an instructor has selected written comments questions to be included on their form, students are advised to write only what they wish their instructors to see, and to remember to be constructive and respectful when providing comments.

While reporting is anonymous, responses are linked to students within the CEQ system in order to provide the appropriate CEQ links based on student course registrations. This linkage will also be used in the event of a complaint under the Student Code of Conduct. Only authorized personnel with the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning (CIAP) will have access to linked data and confidentiality will be maintained.

I am a student in a small class. Should I write a comment and will it be anonymous?

Written responses to the CEQ are reported back to the course instructor just as they were written (verbatim) with no summarization. Students are cautioned to not include information in their written responses that may identify themselves or other individuals.

I am a student taking several courses. Why are there open-ended/comments questions for some of my CEQs but not for others?

The core CEQ form includes two open-ended/comments questions but these questions are optional for an instructor to include. Instructors can select these two comments questions, and other additional custom questions, through personalization of the CEQ form. If a CEQ form does not include comments questions this means the instructor did not select these to be part of the CEQ for the course.

CEQ Results and Reporting

When are CEQ reports distributed each semester?

CEQ results are communicated back to the instructor after the final grades for the course have been submitted to the Registrar’s Office. The instructor report release date is set as the day after the deadline published in the University diary for receipt of replacement grades by the Registrar’s Office for the semester.

Who sees the results of the CEQ?

The course instructor will receive a report of the responses to the 12 core rating questions and any additional custom questions that they selected to include on their form. Responses to Likert (rating) questions will be summarized by frequencies/percentages. Responses to written comment questions will be presented in the report verbatim, as they were received, with no summarization. Note: written comments are NOT reviewed by Department Heads, Deans or other administrators. These comments are ONLY seen by the course instructor.

In the case of a team taught course with multiple instructors, each instructor will receive the same summary report of the 12 core questions for the course. If an instructor in a team taught course chose to add the core comments questions, or any additional custom questions, the responses for those questions will be reported back to that instructor only; other instructors in the team taught course will not have access to the results for those questions.

Academic unit heads will receive a summary report of responses to the 12 core questions aggregated across all of the courses in their unit. If any custom questions were added by the academic unit, the responses to these questions will be similarly reported in aggregate across all of the courses in the unit. Individual course reports are not included in the reporting to academic unit heads.

Can students see the results?

There is no reporting of CEQ results beyond the instructor and the academic unit head.

How are the CEQ results used?

Instructors may use their CEQ results for the ongoing development of their courses and of their teaching practice. Academic administrators can use their aggregate CEQ results to help inform about students’ perceptions of teaching and learning in their units.

If an instructor receives a written comment on the CEQ that is problematic, what is the process for investigating or reviewing?

Instructors should contact ceq@mun.ca regarding the process for flagging problematic content in written feedback.

Data Integrity Gateway (DIG)

What is the role of the academic units in the CEQ?

The preparation for the CEQ administration involves the review and confirmation of course information for each academic unit. This process is completed using the Data Integrity Gateway (DIG) in the Blue system, and each academic unit will assign a DIG user to complete the tasks for their unit.

When can DIG users review and confirm their unit’s course information in Blue?

Review and confirmation of course information for each academic unit through the Data Integrity Gateway (DIG) will begin at approximately week 5 of the semester. DIG users will be notified by email of their task availability and the deadline to complete DIG tasks, and after that date all course information will be finalized in the Blue system.

How can changes be made to course information in DIG after the course status has been set to “Published”?

Once the DIG deadline has passed, academic units will no longer be able to make any changes to the course information and should contact the CIAP office if changes are required.

Does the Evaluate field have to be set to “Yes” for every course that needs a course evaluation?

All courses listed in Blue, both CEQ mandated and non-mandated, will have the Evaluate indicator set to “Yes” as the default. If a course is CEQ mandated, the Evaluate indicator can stay as a “Yes” and does not need to be changed. Any non-mandated courses that will not be using the CEQ should have this indicator set to “No”.

Do all courses on the DIG list need to be “Published” or just the courses that will use the CEQ?

All courses will need to have a status of “Published” for the DIG tasks to be considered complete. Even if a course will not use the CEQ, or the information for that course was not edited upon review, the status must be set to “Published” in DIG. This tells Blue that the information has been reviewed and confirmed, and the system can then select from the “Published” courses those that have an Evaluate indictor of “Yes” to set up a CEQ form.

If there are instructor changes needed for a course, should these changes be made in Blue or in Banner?

Both. Instructor changes can be made in Blue using the Assign/Remove instructors feature. However this information will only be used for the CEQ process and the changes will not be transferred back to the Banner system. If any instructor changes are needed for a course these changes must also be made in the Banner system, either by the unit itself in Banner or through FLAC depending on the type of instructional assignment involved.

Why is a change that was made in Banner not showing up in Blue?

The data in DIG is refreshed nightly during the DIG period so a change made in Banner should be reflected in the Blue system the following day.

What actions are need for CEQ purposes if an academic unit has had administrative personnel changes since the last semester?

The CIAP office will confirm all CEQ contacts for the academic units at the beginning of each semester. If a Dean, Department Head or DIG user changes at some point during the semester, please contact the CIAP office right away (ciap@mun.ca) so the CEQ contact list can be updated.

Do academic units still need to distribute publication opt-out forms?

The new CEQ process no longer involves the publication of reports, so academic units will not be required to distribute the former publication opt-out forms to their instructors.

Course Evaluation Questionnaire